THUNDER BAY, Ontario – The United States completed a sweep of the North American teams and defeated Canada, 13-4, in the third game of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals Tuesday night at Port Arthur Stadium. Team USA has now won its third game in as many days and has shown no signs of slowing down.
While the home crowd appeared deafening at times, Team USA proved to be unfazed amidst the cowbells and chants. Alex Hugo wasted no time in silencing the stands, enduring a nine-pitch battle that ended with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. She concluded the night with a well-rounded stat line, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored. Hugo was not the only one to use the long ball, as Denae Benites sent fireworks flying in her World Cup Finals debut with a two-run shot of her own. Her day at the plate was among the team’s best and featured a dominant 3-for-4 performance.
The U.S. once again boasted its depth with the bats; seven different batters collected a hit while the stars and stripes notched double-digit hits as a team in back-to-back days. Ashton Lansdell, Jillian Albayati, Naomi Ryan, and Kelsie Whitmore accounted for a majority of the damage dealt and each scored two runs for the United States.
Olivia Pichardo shined and set the tone for the U.S. in her pitching debut. She tossed four frames of two-hit ball while striking out four batters in the process. Albayati took over on the mound in a tough situation in the top of the fifth and limited Canada’s ability to rally by stranding three runners and leaving the bases loaded in a critical situation. The reliable arm of Meggie Meidlinger was called on in the top of the seventh and was decisively efficient, as she needed just 10 pitches to secure the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A three up, three down top of the first by Pichardo made way for the U.S. to score first in back-to-back games, as Hugo launched a 3-2 pitch over the centerfield wall for a two-run home run.
- Canada got one back in the top half of the second but was quickly nullified after a sacrifice fly off the bat of Lansdell scored Albayati.
- A two-out error in the third proved costly for Canada; not only did a run score off the miscue, but Benites sent a towering fly ball over the left field wall for a two-run homer to make it 6-1.
- A string of three free passes and a hit-by-pitch in the fourth frame plated Team USA’s seventh run and allowed for Remi Schaber, who drove a 2-2 offering to center for an RBI, to grab the spotlight once again.
- Albayati capped the four-run fourth with a sacrifice fly, scoring Whitmore and giving the U.S. a 10-1 advantage.
- Canada showed signs of life in the top of the fifth, as patient at-bats and a defensive miscue allowed three runs to be made up.
- Team USA followed suit with three of its own in its half of the inning; a run-producing balk was followed up by an RBI groundout off the bat of Albayati. Kate Blunt followed up with a stand-up double and drove in Whitmore to make it 13-4.
NOTABLES
- The U.S. is one of two teams undefeated in the World Cup Finals, the other being Japan (3-0).
- Team USA leads all teams in runs scored (31) and has given up the fewest runs (5) among all countries.
- Hugo represents the U.S. well and is the tournament leader in slugging (1.250) and runs scored (5).
- The U.S. has now beaten Canada in back-to-back years and has outscored its Canadian counterparts, 36-4, over the span of those two games.
- Team USA is now 15-13 all-time against Canada.
QUOTABLE
- “This is one of the more dominant team’s I’ve been around,” Assistant coach Malaika Underwood “From top to bottom it’s unbelievable how much this team contributes on both sides of the ball.”
- “I’ve been waiting for the moment to play in a World Cup for a long time,” Benites remarked post-game. “I’ve done everything I can do to prepare and I know my team has my back through it all.”
- “Olivia [Pichardo] did great today, she was hitting her spots and did exactly what we needed her to do,” Benites said about her battery mate. “Everyone that came in after her did amazing as well.”
ON DECK
The Women’s National Team will play its fourth game of round-robin play tomorrow, July 31st, and will take on Chinese Taipei (0-3) at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live stats will be provided via WBSC, and the contest will be streamed on GameTime while highlights will be posted to YouTube.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To follow along with all the action with the Women’s National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseballWNT on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
